November Gardening To Do’s

November is a time to enjoy those cooler temperatures. The nursery will be full of mums and pumpkins so that you can decorate your front porch. This time of year we can slow down a little with our gardening chores, but there are still a few things to consider to ensure our plants are “tucked in” nicely for the winter.

Vegetable and Flower Gardens:

Pansies and violas need to be as healthy as we can get them going into the colder months. So if we don’t receive any rain, make sure you water your plants. Keep fertilizing every 5-6 weeks, and if you feel like you need some garden therapy, pansies respond really well to being dead-headed.

Purchase garden mums for the front porch. Look for plants that have their flowers just starting to open. This will ensure that you get several weeks of enjoyment from them. Remember to water them!

If you have a shaded landscape, think about adding Hellebores, or evergreen ferns such as Autumn Fern or Holly Fern to give some winter interest. Hellebores will start blooming in January and the flowers last for months.

If the temperatures have dropped down to 60 degrees, spring bulbs can be planted now. You know spring is near when you see the daffodils start to open. Come check out the selection at the Family Tree Garden Center.

Fruit trees and brambles (blackberries and raspberries) can be planted now. You need a really sunny spot for fruits!

Once the leaves on fruit trees have dropped, spray the tree with a dormant oil which will help control overwintering pests.

Shrubs and Trees:

This is still a good time for adding new shrubs and trees to your yard. They get less stressed this time of year.

Rake up leaves under shrubs and trees. This will help you avoid pest and disease problems in the spring. Leaves are a great addition to your compost pile.

Limit pruning this time of year; you don’t want to stimulate new growth which will then just get zapped by a freeze. You also have to be careful not to prune shrubs that flower as you may remove next year’s blooms. However, feel free to tidy up any unruly looking plants.

Lawns:

Fescue sod will be available and can be installed now.

If you have really shady spots, consider converting to liriope or mondo grass instead of trying to get lawn to grow where it is not happy.

Existing fescue lawns can be fertilized at the beginning of November. Do not fertilize warm season grasses.

We welcome you to come visit our team at The Family Tree! If you need information, direction or help please contact our office by calling 770-972-2470. Make sure to follow-us on Facebook ,Twitter, Google+!